Sukhoi PAK-FA fifth-generation fighter jet is finalizing tests of its versatile arsenal before deployment next year. Russia’s Air Force chief says there will be no such target on the scene of operations that the fighter would not be able to engage.

When compared to American F-22 or F-35 5G fighter jets, Sukhoi
PAK-FA (T-50) is going to “outperform them in all technical
aspects,” the commander of the Russian Air Forces, Lieutenant
General Viktor Bondarev said on Thursday.

The PAK-FA fighter jet is going to be truly multirole, being able
to equally engage targets “on the ground, in the air and on
the sea,” he said, confirming that in 2016 the Air Force
will first get the aircraft, then in 2017 the PAK-FA will go into
serial production.

With the cutting-edge equipment installed on already manufactured
machines, there are more features in development to be integrated
into the fighter’s systems on later stages, said Bondarev,
mentioning “practical stealth” program being applied in the
PAK-FA’s development.

Earlier this week Vladimir Mikheev, an advisor to the deputy head
of the Radioelectronic Technologies Concern [KRET], said that the
Sukhoi PAK-FA fighter jet is “already to some degree a flying
robot,” where “the reaction of the aviator is a part of
the control loop.”

He also said that PAK-FA is going to be less observable on radars
than generally recognized American stealth trendsetter, the F-22
fighter jet.

“The T-50 is now ahead of not only all other fighters of the
Russian Army, but also foreign models. For example, the
visibility of the American fifth-generation F-22 fighter is
0.3-0.4 square meters," the developer stressed.

The US military officials have expressed a certain concern in
regards of the upcoming Russian 5G fighter jet.

“Performance-wise it certainly looks to compete with the
Raptor,” The National Interest cited senior US military official comparing
the F-22 and PAK-FA.

Last year, former US Air Force intelligence chief Lt. Gen. Dave
Deptula commented to the National Interest that
PAK-FA has “pretty sophisticated design that is at least
equal to, and some have said even superior to US fifth-generation
aircraft.”

The National Interest named PAK-FA “an air superiority
fighter, rather than a multi-role aircraft like the F-35,”
putting the capability to cruise supersonically ahead other
features.

According to Bondarev, which mentioned that PAK-FA’s top speed
exceeds Mach 2.0, other features are decisive for modern fighter
jet, which are “low-signature, [wide variety of] armament and
[super]maneuverability.”

The Russian Air Force plans to purchase 55 T-50 fighter jets
between 2016 and 2020, was reported in December.

Tu-160 strategic bomber back into production, PAK-DA in design

Russia’s commander-in chief, President Vladimir Putin, and
Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu have approved return to production
of the Soviet strategic bomber Tupolev Tu-160, the world’s
largest combat aircraft.

The aircraft is going to be produced in modernized version and in
order to repay expenditures, “no less that 50 machines will
eventually be produced,” Bondarev said.

There are 16 Tu-160 strategic bombers currently operable in
Russia, that’s all that is left of 60+ planes produced in the
USSR.

After the fall of the Soviet Union most Tu-160s were left in
Ukraine, where they were destroyed under a US-financed program.

Bondarev stressed that production of modernized Tu-160M aircraft
would not interfere with development of PAK-DA (Perspective Air
Complex of Long-Range Aviation) strategic bomber.